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Biden Visits Iraq to Thank Troops and Reshape Relations
Published: November 29, 2011
BAGHDAD — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived here on Tuesday aiming to inaugurate a new relationship between the United States and Iraq, after nearly a decade of war.
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Coming just a few weeks before the last American combat troops are to scheduled to leave the country, Mr. Biden’s unannounced trip is laden with symbolism — a farewell to arms, but also a call for two countries linked by blood to begin dealing with one other in the normal language of diplomacy.
His agenda includes a familiar list of meetings with Iraqi leaders and with the U.S.-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee, the panel meant to steer the future relationship; Mr. Biden and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki are co-chairmen of the committee.
But the ceremonial trappings of the visit will capture the most attention, as Mr. Biden, on behalf of President Obama, thanks the departing American soldiers for their service and salutes Iraqi troops who are now responsible for guarding their nation’s security.
For the vice president, the visit is also a personal coda of sorts. It is his eighth trip to Iraq since taking office, and Mr. Biden has cultivated close relationships with many Iraqi political leaders. He has developed an enthusiast’s knowledge of Iraqi tribal politics, and speaks with relish about its tangled feuds and rivalries.
Early in his presidency, Mr. Obama handed Mr. Biden the Iraq portfolio, a move that raised eyebrows at the time because Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton or former defense secretary Robert M. Gates seemed to be more obvious candidates for the assignment.
Mr. Biden will have a number of politically volatile issues to navigate while he is here. Exxon recently signed an oil deal with Iraq’s Kurdish north that inflamed the central government, which has threatened to impose sanctions. The Obama administration was irritated by Exxon’s haste in striking the deal, officials said, though Washington says it did not interfere with the negotiations.
There are also renewed worries that Iran will seek to destabilize Iraq after the Americans leave — a threat that administration officials acknowledge, though they argue that Iraqis, whether Sunni or Shiite, have no interest in being dominated by their neighbor.
Fears about security have risen in recent days after terror attacks left about 50 people dead in Baghdad, Basra, and Abu Ghraib, the town made famous by the prison torture scandal.
On Monday, a yellow taxi loaded with explosives blew up in front of a prison in Baghdad, killing at least 13 people. The American ambassador, James F. Jeffrey, told reporters there was a “good possibility” that the attack was carried out by Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Mr. Biden’s visit was cloaked in heavy security, with only his later stops in Turkey and Greece publicly announced. In Turkey, the vice president is expected to discuss Iraq, officials said, but also the upheaval in neighboring Syria. In Greece, he is likely to offer solidarity, if not any fresh American aid, to help the Greeks stabilize their finances. Officials declined to discuss his agenda in Baghdad before he arrived.
There are about 14,000 American soldiers in Iraq now, the last of more than one million Americans who have served here since March 2003. Nearly 4,500 Americans were killed in that time, and more than 32,000 wounded.
Mr. Obama’s announcement last month of the final troop withdrawals will leave behind only a vestigial presence of military liaison officers, embassy guards, and security contractors, most of whom will work at the sprawling United States embassy in Baghdad.
It is not quite the denouement the administration had planned for: the Pentagon had wanted to leave a residual force of 3,000 to 5,000 troops after 2011 to help train Iraqi soldiers.
But after the two sides were unable to work out an agreement that would have guaranteed the Americans legal immunity, the Pentagon was unwilling to commit troops beyond 2011.
For Prime Minister Maliki, the political imperative of ending the American presence outweighed the security benefits of keeping a residual force in place. For Mr. Obama, too, the image of the last soldiers leaving Iraq is politically resonant, fulfilling a pledge he made as a candidate in 2008 to end the war.
Analysts said the United States and Iraq are likely to resume negotiations next year for a small American force that would train a Western-style Iraqi officer corps, manage tensions with the Kurds, and help with counterterrorism operations.
The theme of Mr. Biden’s visit is that the United States is not leaving Iraq on its own. In addition to its diplomatic presence here, it will keep a military footprint throughout the Persian Gulf.
Testifying earlier this month before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said, “We have more than 40,000 troops who will remain in the Gulf region. We’re not going anywhere. And we will continue to reassure our partners, deter aggressors, and counter those seeking to create instability.”
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Published: November 29, 2011
BAGHDAD — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived here on Tuesday aiming to inaugurate a new relationship between the United States and Iraq, after nearly a decade of war.
Related
Coming just a few weeks before the last American combat troops are to scheduled to leave the country, Mr. Biden’s unannounced trip is laden with symbolism — a farewell to arms, but also a call for two countries linked by blood to begin dealing with one other in the normal language of diplomacy.
His agenda includes a familiar list of meetings with Iraqi leaders and with the U.S.-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee, the panel meant to steer the future relationship; Mr. Biden and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki are co-chairmen of the committee.
But the ceremonial trappings of the visit will capture the most attention, as Mr. Biden, on behalf of President Obama, thanks the departing American soldiers for their service and salutes Iraqi troops who are now responsible for guarding their nation’s security.
For the vice president, the visit is also a personal coda of sorts. It is his eighth trip to Iraq since taking office, and Mr. Biden has cultivated close relationships with many Iraqi political leaders. He has developed an enthusiast’s knowledge of Iraqi tribal politics, and speaks with relish about its tangled feuds and rivalries.
Early in his presidency, Mr. Obama handed Mr. Biden the Iraq portfolio, a move that raised eyebrows at the time because Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton or former defense secretary Robert M. Gates seemed to be more obvious candidates for the assignment.
Mr. Biden will have a number of politically volatile issues to navigate while he is here. Exxon recently signed an oil deal with Iraq’s Kurdish north that inflamed the central government, which has threatened to impose sanctions. The Obama administration was irritated by Exxon’s haste in striking the deal, officials said, though Washington says it did not interfere with the negotiations.
There are also renewed worries that Iran will seek to destabilize Iraq after the Americans leave — a threat that administration officials acknowledge, though they argue that Iraqis, whether Sunni or Shiite, have no interest in being dominated by their neighbor.
Fears about security have risen in recent days after terror attacks left about 50 people dead in Baghdad, Basra, and Abu Ghraib, the town made famous by the prison torture scandal.
On Monday, a yellow taxi loaded with explosives blew up in front of a prison in Baghdad, killing at least 13 people. The American ambassador, James F. Jeffrey, told reporters there was a “good possibility” that the attack was carried out by Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Mr. Biden’s visit was cloaked in heavy security, with only his later stops in Turkey and Greece publicly announced. In Turkey, the vice president is expected to discuss Iraq, officials said, but also the upheaval in neighboring Syria. In Greece, he is likely to offer solidarity, if not any fresh American aid, to help the Greeks stabilize their finances. Officials declined to discuss his agenda in Baghdad before he arrived.
There are about 14,000 American soldiers in Iraq now, the last of more than one million Americans who have served here since March 2003. Nearly 4,500 Americans were killed in that time, and more than 32,000 wounded.
Mr. Obama’s announcement last month of the final troop withdrawals will leave behind only a vestigial presence of military liaison officers, embassy guards, and security contractors, most of whom will work at the sprawling United States embassy in Baghdad.
It is not quite the denouement the administration had planned for: the Pentagon had wanted to leave a residual force of 3,000 to 5,000 troops after 2011 to help train Iraqi soldiers.
But after the two sides were unable to work out an agreement that would have guaranteed the Americans legal immunity, the Pentagon was unwilling to commit troops beyond 2011.
For Prime Minister Maliki, the political imperative of ending the American presence outweighed the security benefits of keeping a residual force in place. For Mr. Obama, too, the image of the last soldiers leaving Iraq is politically resonant, fulfilling a pledge he made as a candidate in 2008 to end the war.
Analysts said the United States and Iraq are likely to resume negotiations next year for a small American force that would train a Western-style Iraqi officer corps, manage tensions with the Kurds, and help with counterterrorism operations.
The theme of Mr. Biden’s visit is that the United States is not leaving Iraq on its own. In addition to its diplomatic presence here, it will keep a military footprint throughout the Persian Gulf.
Testifying earlier this month before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said, “We have more than 40,000 troops who will remain in the Gulf region. We’re not going anywhere. And we will continue to reassure our partners, deter aggressors, and counter those seeking to create instability.”
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